Good day to everyone and happy Day light Saving time. I consider myself a modest+ collector. While I probably never really settle on one particular area of collecting, I do like proof sets. I am trying to obtain a 1953 proof set to complete my run from 1952 to present. I hope, next year , to get the 1950 and 1951 proof set and maybe later get the get the big boy stuff from the 40's and earlier (dream on) I went to the closest dealer I know of and he did not have one. He actually was flipping through some of those cellophane packages to see if he had one. I had to tell him they did not come that way. Anyhow he has a web site and does have this set listed at a substantially higher price than I see these sets going on the bay. On Ebay, Like everywhere else, there are a lot of scammer and predators out there. I have been on this forum long enough to spot what appears to be the red flags of a suspect coin seller (thanks group) . I have actually bought a few items on the Bay and have been pleased. Up to this point have, have only purchased certified coins from eBay. My question is concerning photos. How much can one really tell from photos on the condition of these coins. I know the 1953 proof set is a fairly modest purchase but If I continue to purchase these earlier set, condition will be most important. Can one really tell a nice set from a very nice set with just the photos alone. I would prefer sets in a Capitol type holder but sometimes these photos are not the best. Maybe I am expecting to much but with proof set I expect them to be clean (except for toning) without scratches, fingerprints ect. I am getting old and my eye sight is not as good as it use to be. Sometimes I see and recently begun hearing things that are not there. Earlier this year I took my big screen tv in for repair because it had a blurry picture. After lugging this monster in, I was told their was nothing wrong with the picture. I got some new glasses and that helped a lot. A semi related questions... Is toning considered spotting? Thanks and do not forget to set your clocks so you want have to hear what I do every year
I don;t trust photos on ebay it is very hard to detect sometimes from a photo,as far as a proof set maybe it is not as risky as buying one coin . I think you are better off buying it from a reputable dealer that you can trust. The earlier proof sets are hard to come buy ,and the pakaging is different from today i don;t know how preserved the proofsets are in those plastic cases. Now your question about toning proofs no it;s not considered spotting and it can bring the value up on a toned proofset if there;s one coin in the set. I have a 1975 proof set with the nickle only toned .and i;m thinking of breaking the set up just for that , and toned coins will not lower the value. Jazzcoins Joe
It depends on the pictures. Some e-bay pictures are pretty good, but most are not. No picture is as good as the real thing in hand, but I've bought some coins from photos. On E-bay, you can mitigate your risk by buying only from folks who offer a 7-day unconditional return guarantee. There's plenty of them out there. That's what I offer every time I sell. It depends on the toning. Some toning is really fabulous, and brings a premium. Some toning is nasty. It's in the eye of the beholder.
Best policy is don't trust photos, period. Sight seen is the best (dealer or show). Second best is unopened original packaging (I think the Mint proof sets were sealed in 1953). Third best is from a known and reputable dealer, sight unseen, with a proper return policy. Other good choices: - A graded full set (like in an NGC 5 coin slab) - Individually graded coins (tends to be more expensive this way).
It's funny, but I was thinking of the same thing last night. I was cruising the "bay" to kill time and was looking at the "Blue" silver Ikes. Have you ever noticed that all the photos are kind of distant and show the cellophane packaging, the blue box, etc. The coin is just a whitish blob somewhere in the picture. And that's the important part. Same goes for Proof and Mint sets. They always give you a "landscape" shot of the set. Personally, I wouldn't bid on one (if it cost a fair amount) unless they had close ups of the coins or they sent them to you. Think about it. If they really are choice coins, the seller will RUN, not walk, to get close-ups of those coins. It's kind of late in the game to get a choice Proof/Mint set off e-bay for the "normal" going price. If it really is good, there will be super photos and bidding will reflect it. IMO anyway.
If you know your seller, the pics don't matter, and if it is on ebay or anywhere else - that doesn't matter either. The only important part is knowing the seller, and because you know them trusting them. You can trust them to give you an honest description, you can trust them to provide accurate pics, you can trust them to refund your moeny if you are unhappy with the purchase. So if you don't know your seller, then don't from them - or risk the consequences. Yes, the older box mint sets did come sealed. But they were sealed with brown packing tape that is readily available today. For that matter so are the small square cardboard boxes. So it is quite easy for the packaging of these sets to be faked. The hard part is the cellophane sleeves that each coin comes in. If the sleeves are plastic and the set is older than 1955 then the sleeves have been replaced - and maybe the coins as well. There were a few sets in '55 where the mint used the plastic sleeves, but only that year. It is risky to buy these older Proof sets if you are unfamiliar with them. So knowing your seller is very important when buying these sets.
